Spark plugs and Chicago pink

If you’re of a certain age, “Chicago” has multiple meanings. It’s a city, of course, but if you’re music saavy, you probably think first of tunes like “Saturday in the Park”, “Color my World,” and the mysterious “25 or 6 to 4.”

Put Scott Lewis (’85) in that category.

While Scott was a student at JMU, he sang with a band called The Spark Plugs. They were the rock stars of JMU at the time. Kevin Gallagher (’84), David Bell (’86), Chris Salamone (’86), Andy Perrine (’86) (now an associate veep for JMU), and the late Scott Causey (’84) were also members of the band.

They must have been good because they played regularly, three times a week. “Like a part-time job,” Scott Lewis told me when I talked to him yesterday. Eventually, Scott graduated with double majors in anthropology and history. He went on to run his own software company, Proven Software Solutions, which does computer consulting for government and commercial enterprises. He’s also dad to four daughters — one, Jordan Lewis (’16) , is a sophomore at JMU.

During Scott’s senior year, two band members graduated, leaving The Spark Plugs with openings for a couple of guitarists. They picked up one guitarist named Keith Howland. A few years after Keith graduated with a degree in communications, he got another gig. A pretty nice gig. Former Sparks Plugs guitarist Keith Howland (’86) auditioned for Chicago, and he was hired. That was 18 years ago, and he’s been with the band ever since.

Now Chicago is not your ordinary rock and roll band. Not only do they have the coolest and likely the most recognizable logo in all of modern music, they’ve taken their fame and finessed it into a way to raise money for cancer research through a promotion they call Sing with Chicago.

From their website:

Legendary rock and roll band, Chicago, has once again chosen to team up with the American Cancer Society to finish the fight against breast cancer. The fourth Sing with Chicago promotion will again give fans the chance to win the ultimate VIP fan experience through an online auction benefiting the American Cancer Society. Starting in April, fans can bid to win a package that includes a meet and greet with the band, two premium tickets, backstage passes, and the opportunity to sing the song “If You Leave Me Now” on-stage with the band!

As former band mates, Scott and friends have followed Keith’s career, and they’ll catch a show whenever they can. After seeing a not-so-great rendition of “If You Leave Me Now,” Keith commented to Scott, “You should put in a bid. You could sing that.”

So he did. And Scott’s bid came out on top — not once, but twice. Scott Lewis and Keith Howland, former Spark Plugs, were together again — backed up by Chicago. This time for a great cause.

Check out Scott’s performances below. You gotta admit, he sounds pr-et-ty good — and you gotta love it when doing something good, like promoting breast cancer research, gets a great prize! That’s being the change on a magical stage.

About James Madison UniversityThis blog is about the people of James Madison University — a caring, committed and engaged community spread all over the world, making lives better and brighter, healthier and safer, kinder and bolder. As Gandhi suggested, we are taking steps to BE the CHANGE we wish to see in the world. And these are our stories....